Walter Block’s Defending the Undefendable is less a book of ethics and more a masterclass in challenging social assumptions. Block covers a wide array of subjects from slums, littering to tariffs, and turns the traditional view of them on its head.

The reading experience is surprisingly similar to a detective novel. As you move through the chapters, you feel compelled to guess the "how" behind his defense of these marginalized or maligned figures. While I didn't find every essay equally airtight (I would have argued "The Non-contributor to Charity" from a different angle), the book as a whole is brilliant.

The Hayek Connection For those interested in Austrian economics, this book pairs perfectly with Hayek’s work on knowledge. It illustrates how entrepreneurs function as "knowledge disseminators," spotting gaps in the market that others miss. Block shows that even the most "undefendable" characters often play a vital role in that knowledge ecosystem. This connection inspired my previous blog post.

Notes & References

• Block, Walter. Defending the Undefendable: The Pimp, Prostitute, Scab, Slumlord, Libeler, Moneylender, and Other Scapegoats in the Rogue's Gallery of American Society. Auburn, AL: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2008. (Originally published by Fleet Press, 1976).

• Hayek, F. A. "The Use of Knowledge in Society." The American Economic Review 35, no. 4 (1945): 519–530.